The Plan
by RobbinsFan
Summary: Arizona's in love with Callie, her best friend. After a recent heartbreak, Arizona decides that it's finally time to tell Callie the truth and decides on making a plan to woo Callie to hopefully get the brunette to fall in love with her too.
1. Chapter 1

Everything was ready. She, was ready. She glanced around the room to make sure, her mind mentally checking things off the list she had made for everything she needed to be done. She finally locked her gaze onto the mirror in front of her and focused on the reflection it gave her. She smoothed her palms over the skinny black jeans, erasing the invisible creases she had and made sure the laces for her newly purchased white chucks were tied. She had a simple black t shirt underneath her fitting white dinner jacket, her shoulder length blonde hair left in soft curls. She finally smiled, happy with her appearance.

Today was going to be her day, the day she got the girl. Yeah, the blonde was definitely happy. She had waited the appropriate amount of time after the brunette's last break up, so she wouldn't be dubbed as a rebound or be seen as taking advantage of her. She had asked for advice on the best way to ask someone out, granted she didn't tell anyone it was for the brunette who had stolen her heart. She laughed as flashbacks of some of those stories came back to her.

Three months ago, she walked into her house that night with hope. Hope that her best friend felt the same way she did. Hope that she could have the same old school love that both teenagers had talked endlessly about. Just hope.

Three months ago...

The blonde was splayed across her living room couch mindlessly watching reruns of some cooking show her mom and her loved to watch together. Her mother currently in the kitchen, moving around preparing dinner. The older blonde had obviously noticed her daughter's sullen mood these past few months. She too noticed the increased absence of a certain brunette best friend and because of it Arizona was here sulking on the couch once again.

Arizona felt her phone chime against her stomach, to which she answered it quickly because it was Callie's specific ringtone. She heard sniffling over the phone "Callie.." no answer "Calliope, are you okay?" Arizona asked, concern evident in her tone

"Arizona, can you come over I- I... I'm sorry are you busy? you're probably busy... I'm gonna..." the sniffling woman quickly got out before being interrupted

"Calliope, give me five minutes" the blonde stated before hanging up, leaving no room for an argument. The blonde jumped off the couch and with a determined tone told her mothers that she was going over to Callie's.

"Make sure you're home for dinner and bring Callie with you!" Barbara called out to her daughter before she heard the front door slam shut.

Arizona took off at a full sprint towards the brunette's house about two blocks away. She was worried about the brunette, of course she was, and the fact that she had a crush on her, only magnified those feelings. The brunette recently entered a relationship and so naturally Arizona hated the girl she was with. Arizona hated the way the girl would treat Callie, hated the way she made Callie feel small, blaming the brunette's concerns about their relationship on her insecurities. By the time she knew it, Arizona was knocking on the front door of the Torres' household, huffing from the sudden stress she put her body under, her anger slowly dissipating.

Once she was let in by Carlos Torres, Arizona made her way up to her best friends door. Before entering Arizona took a deep breath in, preparing herself for the heartache she knew she was about to feel. Quickly exhaling, she pushed the wooden door open and the sight she was met with broke her heart. The Latina was sat cross legged in the middle of her bed, posture slumped and her big brown eyes now red and puffy had tears flowing freely from them down her face. Arizona rushed over to her, gathered the broken girl in her arms and just held her, struggling to fight her own tears from falling.

"She cheated on me" Callie sobbed and held onto Arizona. No words were spoken between the two. Arizona gently rocked her best friend while Callie cried over her broken heart.

After Callie's sobs died down, she moved her body so that she was laying down, her head resting in Arizona's lap, while the blonde lazily ran her fingers through her hair.

"Mom made your favorite tonight, she wants you there and she's not taking no for an answer" Arizona said just looking at Callie "So lets get you freshened up and we'll talk on the way there. Oh and tonight is definitely sleepover night". Arizona reluctantly got up from the comfortable position they were both in and held her hand out for Callie to take.

"Well, well. Are you trying to say I'm a mess Zones? because damn! way to give a girl a break" Callie teased, dramatically feigning shock

"Lets get this train moving Torres" Arizona shot back before grabbing Callie's hand and pulling her toward the bathroom.

That night, back at her house, Arizona knew she had to tell Callie how she felt, she didn't want to keep it in any longer. She sat back at the dinner table and watched how Callie easily held a conversation with her mom and how she would quickly switch to firing playful insults with her older brother, Tim. Fast forward to later that night, after Callie broke down and told Arizona what happened with her relationship she couldn't help but be enamored by her. Callie had leaned into Arizona while watching The Lion King. Arizona cherished these moments and wouldn't deny hoping that someday they would be more than friends

As they lay in Arizona's bed, Callie on one side Arizona on the other, Callie whispered "Why can't I get someone to believe that I'm enough? Arizona, why am I not enough? Am I that hard to love that everyone I date, cheats on me?" she turned and looked at the blonde, eyes glossy from the tears threatening to spill

Arizona wanted to scream that Callie was enough, more than enough. She wanted Callie to know that she was a goddess and that if she gave her the chance, Arizona would show her what it was like to be loved unconditionally. She wanted to say that she was in love with Callie and that she would never hurt her.

Instead Arizona went with "Callie I don't know why those assholes treated you like that, but don't even believe for a second that you're not worth love or that you aren't enough. You are more than enough and one day some woman is going to sweep you off your feet and make you feel everything. when that day comes you're going to look back and laugh because you're going to be so glad that you went through heartbreak to know what true love is". Arizona isn't one who usually prays but in that moment she found herself praying that she would be the one to make Callie happy.

"ok" Callie simply said before moving to cuddle with Arizona.

Arizona knew that she was only 18 and that many would say she couldn't possibly know what true love was, but she did. Because it was this moment, where her heart was calm, the warm feeling spreading through her body and the uncontrollable smile breaking out onto her face as Callie held onto her, that she knew she loved Callie

Yeah... she definitely needed a plan to woo the beautiful woman. And soon.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So sorry for the delay in updating this. I am going to try and be better about all of this. Hope you enjoy this and please leave a review. Thank you :}

Chapter 2

2 months and 29 days ago...

Arizona woke up when she felt something tickling her all over her face and neck. She tried to move her hand to swipe the unwanted sensation off of her face, but she couldn't feel it. There was a weight resting on it and she was struggling to break free. Opening her eyes, she realized that it was Callie's hair that was clouding her view. She tried to shake the soft locks off of her head but found that her attempts once again were futile, seeing as she only managed to further tangle her face into her best friend's hair. She internally groaned when she realized that she would have to wake the other girl up in order to release her from her debacle. But then, as always Callie would pull away from her and sleep on the other side of the bed.

Like any normal, platonic friendship she reminded herself, but she didn't want that. Arizona wanted to be with Callie. At first the young blonde was content with just being friends however, that was before she found out that the Latina was gay too, because that meant that she actually had a shot. And boy did she want that shot. Arizona stayed in her position like that for a few moments, enjoying feeling the steady rise and fall of Callie's chest against her, the light snores that came out of of the brunette's mouth although said brunette would deny it to her grave and most of all, Arizona enjoyed the way Callie felt wrapped around her. She felt calm and safe with the brunette, unbelievably happy when in her presence yet at the same time it was painful too. Watching the person she loves talk about someone else, giggle uncontrollably at another person's particularly unfunny joke and even be pushed to help her get someone else. It was torture.

They had a term for what she felt; Unrequited love. It's the feeling of being completely, hopelessly, desperately in love with someone, all the while knowing that your feelings will never reach them. It was torture. But not anymore because she was going to pull of the most romantic gesture ever and ask Callie to be hers, to look at her with love not anyone else. Callie would either say yes or no. Knowing that there was a chance of losing the brunette was a bitter pill to swallow but then hoping that there was a chance that it would be yes was so captivating it had overridden her fear. Taking a deep breath in she felt some strands fly up her nose

"Callie" she whispered. Nothing. "Calliope" Arizona now softly said. Still nothing. Laughing lightly "Callie" she said a little louder and shaking her own body a little

"Hmm" Callie groaned

"Your hair is blocking my breathing Rapunzel" She laughed, careful not get any hair stuck in her mouth. The blonde heard Callie mumble an apology before lifting her head and brushing her hair down. In a move that pleasantly surprised Arizona, Callie snuggled deeper into Arizona instead of pulling away and the blonde was on cloud nineteen at their new level of intimacy. Callie had brought her hand to rest under Arizona's sleep shirt, a tan palm resting on her upper abdomen just before the underside of the blonde's breasts. Arizona tentatively moved her arms to wrap them around Callie and she felt and heard Callie hum her approval. Callie liked the blonde holding her and Arizona wanted to dance and sing and scream to the world all at once

"mmm I love you Jen" Callie whispered

Arizona could hear her world shattering. She felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest, her stomach twisting in knots and now hot tears blurring her vision. Callie loved her ex, her cheating, manipulative asshole of an ex. She had an idea that maybe the brunette had mentioned those three word, but actually hearing it was a new type of pain. Surprising herself, it was her that pulled away from their embrace, she couldn't bare it any longer. She felt empty and pointless.

Walking out of the room, she felt the tears flowing down her face freely down her face as she padded down the stairs. She was surprised to see her mom laying on the couch, absentmindedly watching the infomercial channel so she tried to quietly backtrack her steps.

"Arizona, come sit here" Barbara Robbins called and watched as her daughter slumped her shoulders and dragged her feet on the way to her. "Honey what's going on?" she asked when Arizona plopped herself next to her. She ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to soothe her seemingly inconsolable daughter. She had an idea but seeing the look of complete emptiness and desolation in her daughter's permanently shinning eyes unsettled her.

"Callie loves someone else. She said..." Arizona said so quietly and then let out a violent sob, she turned around and held onto her mother as though it was the only life vest in a sinking ship.

"Honey" Barbara sighed, trying to comfort her daughter, but having no idea where to start. She decided that she would just let her daughter cry it out, allow her to cry for her heart or now lack thereof. Arizona had never actually admitted to her before that it was Callie that she was in love with. Sure she had an idea, but it was never actually confirmed until now

Arizona's voice was scratchy when she spoke next, her sobs toning down to a few hiccups as she basked in the warmth and comfort of her mother's hug. "According to a study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, 71 percent of 155 young adults take about three months ,approximately 11 weeks, in order to see the positive aspects from their breakup. One 2009 study suggested it takes nearly 18 months for divorcees to feel ready to move on after a split is finalized. Did you know that?"

"Arizona..." Barbara started but was cut off by her daughter

"Psychologist Cooper Lawrence says that the stages of the breakup are similar to the stages of grief, since you are indeed grieving a loss, except with a breakup, you could hold out hope of reconciliation, which makes it harder to see clearly. Thats what he says. She's probably holding out hope for Jen, even after all that happened. Callie has got such a pure heart that she'd do that, give her another chance because she likes to see the good in everyone. It's one of the qualities I love about her yet hate at the same time because it has gotten her heart broken so many times"

"Arizona, sweetheart I know you're a genius but you cant use statistics for this. Love is something that you have to feel not something you can read a how-to guide on because everybody is different making every love story different. Sweetie have you ever considered that Callie is falling in love with other people because you haven't allowed her to fall in love with you?"

Arizona sat there staring at a man in an overly bright suit and pondered her mom's observation about her. "What do you mean"

"I mean that you don't show her emotion, she's the one always gushing about a new crush or how cool the new theatre on second street is but you hardly get excited over anything but new books and research articles. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm saying that you wrap yourself up in this bubble of your comfort zone and keep everyone at an arm's length. Arizona I know that you struggle with your emotions, being a genius and all and growing up in a military household certainly didn't help matters, but if you truly want to be with Callie you're going to have to try"

Arizona stayed quiet, she knew her mom was right, logically speaking a relationship had to be equal on all fronts, give and take. "Thanks mom" she said and then awkwardly lifted her body and sheepishly smiled at her mother. She reached for the remote and switched off the tv instantly sending the room into semi darkness as the full moon's light was the now the only source flooding into the house "Studies show that when you get less than eight hours of sleep a night, you're more prone to depression, weight gain and have a higher risk of getting a heart attack" Arizona said and her mom just looked at her

"I mean... Mom, I care about you... It's time for you to sleep too so that you don't give your body a reason to help you stay sad. I uhh I miss dad too" she finished, finding the the hemming of her shirt the most interesting thing ever

"Okay I'll go to bed" Barbara laughed

"And you promise you'll sleep" Arizona asked

"I promise" She smiled and let out a small chuckle "Behind all those pages of books, facts and figures in your head there is this little person with the largest heart and when you finally allow yourself to use that little person I know you'll be the most caring person ever and more importantly a great girlfriend and wife."

"Technically, there..."

"Arizona that was a compliment, smile and say thank you" Barbara laughed

"Thank you"

"Good night dear" Barbara said and was just about to enter her room when she heard the small voice again

"Mom... Tim and I, we can protect and care for you, but you need to let us in too" Arizona said sincerely, her innate need to be the good man in a storm coming out

"Thank you Arizona" she smiled sadly before going to her empty bed

Walking into her own room, Arizona had a new sub mission that held a crucial part to the success of the main mission. She needed to show more emotion. Climbing into the bed, Arizona tentatively moved to cuddle Callie, holding the by brunette from behind so that her front was moulded into the Callie's back.

Callie slowly turned around and sleepily curled her body more into Arizona's, her face now resting in the crook of the blonde's neck, inhaling her scent. "Arizona?" Callie said surprised.

"Yeah?"

Callie let out a breath of relief, knowing that it was in fact her best friend instead of her ex. Noticing their position she started to move away but she felt Arizona only hold her tighter

"Stay, please" Arizona whispered vulnerably

"Really?"

"Yeah" she smiled

"okay, goodnight Zones"

"Night Calliope" The blonde said, happy at her little victory and finally succumbing to sleep


	3. Chapter 3

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."

\- Judy Garland

Chapter 3

Rays of light streamed through the voile covering the window while gentle bursts of wind make it dance against its rungs. The room was filled with light snores and the occasional hum when Callie further burrowed her body into Arizona's.

The two were snuggled up under the warm comforter, facing each other with Callie's head safely tucked into Arizona's neck, a small smile gracing her features. The room was light enough so that Arizona could make out Callie's features, but not bright enough to cause them to wake up. The birds were lightly chirping, humming their own tune and Arizona breathed in the smell of Callie's shampoo while she began to gently rub her palm up and down the brunettes back. Arizona closed her eyes once again, reveling in the warmth and comfort that she knew the brunette was giving her

—

Arizona felt warm lips press against her cheek as she fought her battle between consciousness and dreamland. She decided that she would keep her eyes closed for a little while longer to see what would happen. She felt Callie shift beside her and slide down back against her body to bury herself back in the blankets

"What would I do without you Arizona?" She heard her best friend whisper sorrowfully "What did I do to deserve you?"

Arizona chose that moment to open her eyes and look and took a moment to unabashedly stare at Callie "You helped me out in a difficult situation" she whispered and she saw Callie whip her head up in surprise before sadly smiling

"I hardly think lending you a blue crayon is a matter of life and death" she laughed humorlessly

"It meant the world to me and you and I both know it" Arizona said sincerely never faltering in her eye contact with Callie. "Thank you because I honestly don't know what I did to deserve you. And as for not knowing what you'd do without me… well you never have to worry about that because you're stuck with me."

Callie looked at her almost skeptically "You sure?" she whispered insecurely

"Callie the last thing that is going to happen is me leaving you" Arizona said as she brushed her fingers through Callie's hair knowing it calmed the other girl down and she selfishly just wanted the extra contact

"So what do you want to do today?" Callie asked breaking the silence after a while

"I thought we could go to the carnival today" The blonde shrugged and Callie lifted herself up on her forearm and looked at her incredulously before bursting out laughing

"Yeah good one zones, maybe tomorrow we can go to Mars" Callie laughed

"Technically it can be a possibility. I mean they are launching a Mars One project so it could…."

Arizona was about blether off going into studies and statistics but was cut off with Callie kissing her cheek again and she could feel the blood rush to her face. She pursed her lips into a line and smiled "I want to go to the carnival"

"Why today? You hate them" Callie asked, her brows furrowed in confusion

"And you love them. So I think that it'll be a good idea to see the carnival from your perspective. I want to experience it with you. Unless you don't want to go. That's totally fine, we can do whatever you feel up to"

"Arizona Evangeline Robbins, you aren't taking taking that back. We're going to the carnival" Callie squealed and got out of bed and started happy dancing

Arizona couldn't help but admire the sheer beauty that Calliope held, it was mesmerizing. With a lazy smile on her face she tentatively got out of her bed and walked over to Callie. The brunette stopped for a moment when she saw the blonde standing in front of her, uncertainty riddling her face

Callie took her hands in hers and twirled Arizona around before pulling her back into her body. The blonde was a mess of movements making Callie laugh even harder but nevertheless still carried on moving with her

"Arizona just loosen up your body, there's no one here but me so don't worry" Callie breathlessly said as she jumped around the blonde "There is no pattern for this. Just let yourself feel"

Arizona held onto Callie's hands and brought her close to her body, their height difference making it an intimate embrace. Callie had calmed down as they swayed around the room spinning, dipping and pulling apart only to pull each other back to the other. Laughs were shared and finally Arizona rested her head on Callie's shoulder and the two just simply swayed back and forth for some time

Arizona's stomach grumbling caused both of them to laugh and as Callie was about to pull away, the blonde held her tighter "Stay, we can go down in a little bit" She said vulnerably. Callie didn't verbally answer, she simply kissed Arizona's forehead and pressed the blonde impossibly further into her.

Arizona could tell that her friend was surprised at her show of emotion and if she were being honest with herself she was surprised too. Pleasantly though because Callie had stayed and she had received her third kiss that morning. She smiled at her small victory. Her stomach rumbling once again brought her back to reality.

"Come on let's get some food in that bottomless pit of yours" Callie said as she pulled away and then we can get changed and head to the carnival

"Callie it's only half seven" Arizona whined

"Yes and we are going to need a full day there. You are going to get the whole experience" The Latina said excitedly


	4. Chapter 4

"Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own."

\- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The smell of dried grass and straw, the sun beating down on their backs with no sign of backing down at any moment, the sight of large white tents and several attraction rides greeted and the mix of chatter, children's laughter and screams greeted the two teenagers at the entrance. With every step she took, deeper into the grid of tents and crowds of people,Arizona could feel the crackle of the ground beneath her. She could feel her heart jump every time somebody brushed passed her, every fiber down to the actin and myosin in her muscles felt on edge. Her body ready to pump cortisol and adrenaline any minute now.

Callie on the other hand was loving this, she loved the atmosphere and the electricity that came along with it. She loved the clowns with their rainbow hair and obnoxiously large red noses that stood at every corner, she loved the greasy food and all the sweet treats that would surely rot all her teeth. Mostly she loved it because it was the one place her family was normal, not the well kept family who sat at tables that had five different types of forks.

The two lazily strolled by the stalls, thumbing through the intricate products each one had to offer. Arizona watched as Callie kept looking at the largest and fluffiest teddy bear, well that and a simple silver ring that had a a few diamonds on it and made it a point to come back here.

Coming up to the cotton candy stall, Arizona noticed how Callie began to walk a little faster and had a gleam in her eyes.

"Hey Matt, Please can I have two bags" She politely asked while handing the man the money

"Sure thing Cal, hey Arizona, fancy seeing you here" he smiled, dimples popping. He was also the local librarian and often saw the young blonde in and out of the place.

"Hi Matt." She said shyly "Yeah I just came with Callie for a day out, she's going to help me get over my fear of the place."

"Thats awesome" he beamed as he flipped one of his blond locks behind his ear "Enjoy your day guys"

Being a small town, everyone knew the everyone else's business and everyone had a soft spot for the blonde genius and were silently rooting for her to finally admit her feelings for Callie. They had all watched the two grow up, joint at the hip from the moment they could move. What surprised them was the complete opposite nature of the two. Their interests would have them seem as though they were oil and water. Everyone was grateful to find that the two instead managed to balance each other out, Callie getting Arizona educated on social norms and getting her to be more aware of her emotions and Arizona teaching Callie how to not be as reckless and managing to miraculously calm the Latina down

As they continued walking, they smiled and greeted everyone that they knew and Callie had finally managed to rip open her bag of cotton candy

"Did you know that it was actually a dentist Dr. William Morrison and a candy maker who actually invented cotton candy in 1897. And then some time later it was another dentist Dr. Josef Lascaux who refined it." Arizona spouted out as she stuffed chunks of the sugary treat down her throat

"Really?" Callie sarcastically replied and Arizona smiled unknowing of her best friend's fake enthusiasm

"Yeah! Can you believe it."

"No I really can't. And to think of all the times Dentist Rowland gave me crap about having too many sweets"

"Also in England they call it candy floss. But onto the more interesting stuff"

"Yay" Callie deadpanned. She loved Arizona, she really did. But in this moment she just wanted to eat her cotton candy and savor it

"They use the same technique to make polyester thread so that they can weave it into cloth and….. I'm boring you, aren't I?" Arizona realized, before looking down and then beginning to fumble with her own packet

"Just a little, But I promise I appreciate cotton candy more now knowing all that stuff. Why don't we go try one of the rides now?"

Just as Arizona was about to respond, she saw someone come up behind Callie and wrap their arm around her shoulder. If there was one more reason to hate the boy, it would've been how easy being affectionate was for him, even if Callie didn't like it, but still

"Listen Dweeb, why don't you run along to the library because Callie and I are going to spend the day together now and nobody likes a third wheel do they?" He said with a cocky smirk, one arm still around Callie's shoulder and the other shoved into the front pocket of his jeans.

Arizona had to give the boy some credit, he was attractive on most standards; athletically built, confident, clear faced and most of the girls her age would pine for him. What interested Arizona was how Callie didn't seem to brush his arm off of her. Did Callie want to spend the day with him? Probably, he was more interesting and she wouldn't have to hold his hand through the day or comfort his fears before going onto a ride.

Surprising herself, Arizona spoke up with confidence "Why don't you let Callie decide what she wants to do"

"Please a day with me is far more interesting than a school trip with you, and unlike you I actually have something to offer Callie" he smirked at himself. Callie at this point had watched the two argue and had been particularly stunned by Arizona speaking up for herself. Pleasantly so. She moved to stand next to Arizona and wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulder before nonchalantly saying "Pass" and guiding Arizona away from the boy.

The boy, however could not take the hint "Ahhh come on Cal, come be with me for the day, I promise I can make it worth your while" He grinned lecherously and before Callie had the chance to speak, Arizona stepped forward

"Dylan, you're primitive brain may not have grasped the concept of rejection or consent yet so let me put it simply for you to understand. When a woman says no, it means no. Period. End of story. She's not playing hard to get or waiting for you to force her to change her mind, it means she is not interested. This is not some game where she judges you based on how hard you try to get her attention, which in all honesty is quite pathetic." Arizona says, her voice unnervingly calm and her blue eyes steeled onto the boy in front of her. By the time she is finished the boy, Dylan, furiously stomps off and Arizona's speech had gotten some on lookers. Arizona felt the tension leave her body as she turned to look at Callie "Ready to have some fun?" she smiles

"That was awesome! OH MY GOSH! yeah we're going to the ferris wheel first" Callie exclaimed, her hand intertwining with Arizona's as she pulled them toward the ride.

"Scientifically I know that this is safe but what if..."

"Arizona we'll be fine, I promise. This thing gives the best view of the whole town"

The rest of the day went off without a hitch and Arizona found herself sad to actually leave the place when it was closing

"Admit it, you like Carnivals now" Callie gloated

"Yeah I do" Arizona admitted shyly, loving the way their laced hands were swinging between them. It was getting quite dark and the pair could see the sun setting. "Race you to Hogg's Hill" Callie yelled as she took off, Arizona now trailing slightly behind

The two watched as the sun slowly set. "Thank you for today, I think I really needed it" Callie admitted quietly "I think its time to focus on me and school this year. Can you believe it's our last year and then college?" the brunette focused on the scenery in front of her "Finally going out into the big bad world to make a name for ourselves"

"Any idea where you're going to go" Arizona asks. She herself had received many offers and scholarships but she wanted to go wherever Callie went. They both wanted to become surgeons, both enraptured by the thought of slowly healing the world.

"I'm not really sure, Hopkins is a great program and so is Stanford, Dartmouth looks cool but they are all really hard to get into."

"Don't worry you're smart and they would be luck to have you and you know you're smart enough to easily make it into any school of your choice" Arizona shoulder bumped the brunette. They stayed there until the sun had set, enjoying each others company

Walking back to their house, Callie looked over at Arizona "So they really used the cotton candy technique to improve clothes?"

Arizona smiled and began spouting out how it was done while Callie intently listened. She loved the way Arizona would get all excited about a topic and how animated she would become, her hands would fly everywhere trying to mimic the process.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: YOU GUYS…. the feedback for this story is amazing, I am so grateful that you love this story. Thank you for your continued support and hopefully updates will be rollin out more often. :}

"The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides."

\- Audrey Hepburn

Two weeks ago….

"Mom?" Arizona asked as she walked through the house, finally finding the woman in question in the kitchen

"Hey Sweetie, pass me the salt on your way here" Barbara said blindly reaching behind her to grasp the bottle while she simultaneously continued to stir the soup in the pot. Arizona had hopped up onto the counter beside her mother and looked all around the kitchen, taking in everything. The kitchen was decent sized and decorated in a very southern manner, with the middle island and countertops and cabinets surrounding it.

"Mom, when did you know that you were in love with dad?" Arizona asked, waiting intently for the response

Barbara had to take a minute to school the slight shock she had at the question. She paused for a minute mulling over her answer for a moment "I guess it was the moment he took me for a fancy dinner spontaneously" she finally decided and looked over at her confused daughter

The older Robbins decided to explain further "Your father was never a fancy restaurant person, he loved diners and hot dog stands and if we are being honest I was the same. But one night he called me and told me to put on a fancy dress because he was taking me out. He came to the door dressed in a suit and brought flowers. He greeted my father and talked with him about sports and gave the bouquet of flowers to my mother" Barbara laughed as she remembered that night

"After we ate dinner, he took me to the dance floor and even though I knew he couldn't dance because of the amount of times he refused to dance, there he was, holding his hand out to me. We spent the night fumbling around, he stepped on my toes more times than I could count, but the fact that there he was trying something new with me, smiling the way I knew he only smiled at me." Barbara said a soft smile on her face taking a deep breath in "It was that moment, I knew I was in love with him"

"THAT"S when you fell for me" A gruff voice called out from the corridor. There in his full Marine regalia was Daniel Robbins casually leaning against the doorframe "And here I thought it was when I smiled at you in that little florist shop down the street" he smiled softly

Barbara was there standing with tears freely flowing down her cheeks as she rushed toward him, immediately wrapping him in her arms, pulling away a few times to just look at him before burying her face into his chest once again. Daniel shifted his wife to his left side and looked up "What? your old man flies halfway across the world and you can't even come to hug him?" he said looking at Arizona before he saw her running toward them

"That's my girl" He laughed and hugged the two women close, reveling in the closeness

Later that night, Arizona was sat in Callie's bedroom, the brunette braiding her hair and Arizona could feel the goosebumps on her skin every time Callie brushed her hand against her neck or her back. Swallowing the lump down her throat, Arizona whispered "Callie, I think I have a crush on someone"

The brunette continued her work on the blonde hair "I know" and it slightly unnerved Arizona that she couldn't actually see the brunettes expressions at this point in time. Callie had smoothed her palms and gently moved them down Arizona's back

"Y-you do?" she timidly asked

"Of course Arizona and to be honest it makes perfect sense. You can trust me with these things. You know that right?" Callie says smally and Arizona finally realized how important it was to Callie that she open up to her.

"Can I tell you something else?"

"Please don't ask me if it's okay to trust me. You uhh you don't have to tell me if you don't want to though, no pressure" Callie said lifting both her hands up in surrender

"So me telling you things….. personal things… you want me to do that more often?" Arizona asked

"Yeah, it's kinda like a show of trust you know? It's what best friends do" Callie says and Arizona just looks at her

"Callie I trust you, It's hard. This" Arizona says motioning all around her "it's hard" she whispers "But I'm trying really hard" she admits finally looking up "and it feels great, the other day, I hugged Miss Campbell after we had dinner at her house. Mr Carter was proud of me for that. I was too. I'm getting better Callie" The blonde beamed, her whole body radiating happiness

"Thats amazing Zones. I'm so happy for you. I actually have news of my own." Callie said before pausing for dramatic effect.

"Callie whats going on?"

"I got accepted into Stanford" Callie said excitedly

"OH MY GOSH! Callie!" Arizona said jumping up and down on her knees before barreling into Callie knocking them both over the bed which only caused them to laugh harder. "I told you, didn't I. My best friend got into Stanford. Is there even a shirt for that?" Arizona asked excitedly before standing up and holding her hand out to help Callie up. Pulling the brunette closer to her body she uncoordinatedly spun them around eliciting giggles

"I'll phone Stanford tomorrow and accept their scholarship" Arizona smiled as she and Callie lay on the bed, her hand absentmindedly brushing through long raven locks. Callie sat up on one elbow and looked at Arizona through narrowed eyes

"We both know Hopkins has the better program all round because you don't know what specialty you want to take up. Arizona don't give this amazing opportunity up for me. I want you to go to the best school possible for you. Promise me you'll at least take some time to consider it" Callie said earnestly

"Calliope, I understand where you are coming from but being with you during college is something that I want. Stanford is an amazing school and the program is going to be amazing and while I may not know my specialty yet, I think they'll help me figure it out the best. And they also have a really cool regenerative research and engineering club there so…. besides Thursday nights are pudding night, who doesn't need that" Arizona laughed

"Arizona….." Callie sighed

"Callie I want this. I want to be with you" oh the double entendre that the simple sentence had. But not yet Arizona thought to herself. She was nearly ready, she just needed a little more time because she needed everything to be perfect. Quickly clearing her throat "Want to hangout tomorrow, Mom's making chocolate chip cookies and Dad's making his famous barbecue"

Callie suddenly became fidgety and avoided eye contact "I uhh have plans tomorrow, but I can come see you at night?"

"Ohh yeah sure and before I forget Sunday two weeks from now is the carnival. Don't plan anything okay" Arizona said

"Yeah sure. No problem"


	6. Chapter 6

"Loving someone liberates the lover as well as the beloved. And that kind of love comes with age."

\- Maya Angelou

Present day

There's a certain calmness that washes over your body when everything that you have been working so hard for finally falls into place. That calmness however, didn't want to meet Arizona Robbins today. Nope. Anxiety was filling in for the missing emotion  
and it came as a force to be reckoned with.

Wiping her sweaty palms against her jeans, Arizona raised her hand to ring the bell of the Torres Residence while trying to and simultaneously prayed that her nerves would calm down. It's Callie, her best friend, the person she knew, the girl who held  
her hand through many rainstorms, the girl who calmed her fears when she found out her father was being deployed but most of all she was the girl who stayed.

The door swung open, the custom squeak making its noise heard and Arizona was met with familiar brown eyes, though these were not the pair she needed to drown into. "Mija, Callie is upstairs she'll be down in a minute. Come in" Carlos Torres ushered her  
in. He surveilled the younger blonde who was dressed casually smart and armed with a small bouquet of flowers "What are you girls up to today?"

"Calliope and I are going to the Carnival today and I'm going to uhhh…. We're going to try all the rides this time" Arizona nervously said fidgeting with the cellophane that was wrapped around the flowers

"Arizona" Carlos started

"I might even try that toffee apple that Callie loves so much. I swear I really don't see how she can like a toffee apple but not a normal apple. I mean this just has a coat of sugar over it and then the rest of it is just like a normal apple. And it's  
not even a nice apple. They use the fluffy red ones." Arizona scrunched her face in distaste and Carlos just laughed

"She's an enigma isn't she."

"I'll say" Arizona huffed though a small smile still graced her face

"Take care of her Arizona" Carlos said, all traces of laughter fading away from his voice. He knew the blonde was too in love with his daughter to even think about hurting her emotionally but he had to say. He felt as though to make himself feel better  
about the situation, he had to say.

Carlos Torres was still struggling with his daughter's sexuality but that didn't mean he wasn't trying. But he guessed that wasn't enough because even at this point he found himself not understanding her. It created a dent in their relationship and it  
broke his heart. Why was it so hard for him to see past this. Maybe it was because he hated all the girls his daughter chose to date, because they were never good enough for her, irrespective of gender. They never treated her the way she was meant  
to be treated. Carlos somehow knew that in Arizona, Callie would finally find love, trust and companionship. He made a note to go see Daniel after this.

"I promise" the younger blonde said wholeheartedly and sticking her pinky out in front of Carlos who chuckled and entwined his pinky with hers. Smiling at each other he stood up and hugged the blonde.

"You are my daughter too, If she hurts you either…. just let me know…. I'll call some people" he said laughing causing Arizona to laugh as well.

"You wouldn't call mom on me! Traitor" Callie said feigning shock and walking up to them. She too was dressed in smart casual blue jeans, a simple white tee and a leather jacket. Arizona however was still focused on the chucks Callie had on. They were  
the same chucks that Arizona had drew the joker on.

"Have fun you two" Carlos said before kissing Callie's cheek and just as he was about to walk out Callie pulled him back and gave him a hug.

"Thank you Dad" she whispered as she held onto him and both of them knew the deeper meaning held within the statement. Once she finally pulled away she looked at Arizona "Ready" she nervously asked and after Arizona nodded her head she held her hand out  
to the blonde

Walking down the street, hand in hand both of them were too occupied with their own nerves to notice the others quietness. In a way, both were grateful for the silence as it gave each of them time to sort out their emotions

"So I want to take you somewhere before we go to the carnival, okay?" Callie shakily said, knocking Arizona out of her internal mental encouragement speech

'Crap!' "Yeah okay, let me just call mom quickly so that I can tell I'll be getting there a little later. She wanted to meet us" Arizona said avoiding eye contact. Pulling out her phone she sends a quick text before retaking Callie's hand "So where are  
we off to?"

"It's a surprise" Callie said as they continued walking

Recognizing the walkway, "We're going to Hog's Hill aren't we?" Arizona said

"Okay fine!" Callie huffed "But you're not getting anything else" she then pouted.

Making their way up the hill, Arizona's eyes landed on a blanket and a bouquet of red roses

"Callie? what is this?" Arizona asked, confused by everything

"I'm tired…" Callie admitted and sighed, her brown eyes piercing into Arizona's

"That's okay, we can always go to the next carnival." Arizona said a little deflated. Too deflated for Callie's liking but she decided to soldier on and before she could "Calliope, why didn't you tell me before we left the house, I wouldn't have minded.  
I don't want you to feel pressured to hang out with me today. I just wanted to spend some time with you because you've been so busy recently and I don't even know why. But we can always do it another…"

Callie cut her off by walking toward her and pressing her body against the blonde's and wrapping her arms around her waist "I'm tired of waiting for you to tell me how you feel. So now, Now you're going to shut up and let me tell you how I feel about  
you and how perfect we can be together so it can quell any of your fears that you have. okay?"

Arizona was pretty sure she was going to lose consciousness because her vision was starting to get blurry. Was this a dream? Was this her subconscious' cruel way of giving her what she wants only to have it ripped away from her

"Arizona don't cry" Callie softly said as she raised her hand to gently wipe the tears away

Raising her own hand to stroke Callie's face "This feels so real, YOU feel so real." Arizona whispered and then moved out of Callie's embrace and began to look at the view of their little town "But the worst part is, is that all of this is probably my  
brain playing with me but GOD!" She said and once again turned to the Latina "How I wish all of this was real, but I don't want to do this to myself" Arizona felt the tears rolling down her cheeks

She used her sleeve to quickly wipe them away before looking up at Callie "I've had this dream more times than I'd like to admit and each time I would allow myself to be with you. What's even more pathetic is that even when you were with someone I'd still  
have them. I stopped having them about four months ago, because I couldn't take the pain anymore. I thought I could but seeing you with Jen…. it was….." Arizona was struggling to find the word and then finally settled on "You fell in love with her"  
she whispered so quietly that if Callie hadn't been paying close attention, she never would've heard.

Callie walked over to Arizona and wrapped her arms around the blonde "I'm sorry" after staying in that embrace for a while, Callie pulled back and gently pushed a lock of blonde hair behind Arizona's ear "This is real and I promise. I didn't want to tell  
you that I knew because I wanted you to feel comfortable and confident in yourself enough to know that you wanted this too. These past few months have been amazing and I want this...us. I want to give us a chance and that's only if you want to too"Callie  
finished

"Follow me" was all Arizona said before taking Callie's hand and walking them towards the carnival. Arizona's brisk strides didn't falter nor did she look back at Callie once on the way and Callie's mind was going in overdrive

'I pushed her too hard didn't I, god damnit Callie she was the one amazing thing and you screwed it up. She just wanted a day at the carnival but no. You had to go make like a guilty person and confess everything to her like she's a priest that can relieve  
you. God I'm an idiot'

Reaching the entrance of the carnival, Arizona paid their admission fees and then continued to essentially drag Callie through the fields to the ferris wheel.

"Arizona, Thank god I was beginning to think that you weren't coming. Are we going with the plan now?" Jake, the owner of the ferris wheel asked

"Yes please" Arizona politely replied and then finally looked back to see a very confused and maybe a little winded Callie. Still no words were shared between the two teenagers as they move to sit down in one of the carriages. Arizona's hand still entwined  
with Callie's lays rested on the blonde's lap. As they go higher up, Callie's breath catches in her throat when she finally sees it. Looking over at Arizona with tears in her eyes, she saw that the blonde had teared up too and her face had adorned  
a sheepish smile as they looked at each other.

Over on the next field, there was a small picnic setup, with the large teddy bear that Callie had seen all those months ago and her name was written in what seemed to be an endless supply of haystacks.

"If you had just given me the day…" Arizona lightly chuckled "This wasn't even the whole plan. We were going to come here and spend the day on all the rides…. except this one for obvious reasons. I would've gotten you a mountain of cotton candy and even  
tried your toffee apple and then just as the sun set we would come here and then that field would be lit up with candles and then…. yeah"

"You did all of this….. for me" Callie asked incredulously

"Of course I did, you deserve this and so much more Callie. I want to be the person that gives you that." Arizona said with such conviction that Callie believed it "Can I uhh …..Can I kiss you?"

"Please"

Arizona gently moved impossibly closer to Callie, slowly leaning in. Placing a hand to softly caress Callie cheek, Arizona pressed their lips together. The kiss was chaste, but it was everything to the two of them. Arizona lowly moaned at the taste of  
Callie's soft lips and then moved her hand to tangle it in raven locks. Finally pulling back when they felt the wheel moving. Callie dazedly opens her eyes only to see Arizona smiling widely at her. "That was amazing" she whispered

"I would say it was awesome" Arizona laughs

Jake is smiling at them when they finally get off the carriage, though nothing can compare to the light and happiness radiating off the two.

After they walked for a little bit, Callie broke their comfortable silence "We can still go through the day according to your 'plan'"

"Really?" Arizona asked clearly surprised

"Yeah"

—

The sun had set half an hour ago and Arizona had taken Callie on the ferris wheel again and although Callie had already seen the field ahead before, her breath was taken away. Leaning her head on Arizona's shoulder, the two stayed there, enjoying each  
others presence. The whole day had been perfect, they played all the silly carnival games and Callie had won Arizona a stuffed monkey that the blonde had hugging her back the whole day. Arizona had tried the sugar coated apple and in a turn of events  
like it even more than Callie. They spent the entire time giggling and dragging each other to different places. They kissed in the photo booth, Callie gave Arizona a piggyback ride and they had eaten enough cotton candy to fuel a class of kindergartners.  
They were happy. Even though everybody knew Callie, every time Arizona entered a new stall or attraction she would greet the clerk and introduce Callie as her girlfriend, which never failed to put a smile on everyone's faces.

Walking through the dark field, Callie had moved closer to Arizona's body so they could share body heat. The blonde moved to wrap her arm around Callie's shoulder and despite the height difference she managed to kiss the brunette's temple. Slowly sitting  
down, Arizona grabbed a blanket and motioned for Callie to sit between her legs.

"This is nice" Callie said as she cuddled into Arizona and the blonde wrapped the blanket around them.

"Question" Arizona said

"Shoot"

"How come you've been so distant lately?"

"I guess I was figuring out my own master plan to get you that I needed some time by myself so I could figure it all out" Callie replied. "Worth it?"

"Calliope you kinda stole my thunder, but I guess its okay" Arizona shrugged and Callie turned slightly

"Take that back!" Callie said lightly pushing Arizona onto the grass

"Or what" the blonde dared

"I'll take my 'I like you' back" Callie smiled

"Great! Can I swap it for an 'I love you'" Arizona said earnestly and even in the darkness Callie could see how brightly blue eyes shined.

Too stunned to verbally respond, Callie leaned down to kiss Arizona so passionately that both of them didn't even realize that there was a fireworks display above them. Resting her forehead against Arizona's, Callie through bated breath whispered "I love  
you too"

A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. This was the way I always the way I envisioned writing this story; for something to disrupt Arizona's plan but not in a negative way, just in a different way that she had planned out for. Because well… when does  
life ever cater to our plans.


	7. Chapter 7

In matters of the heart, nothing is true except the improbable.

\- Madame de Stael

"Did you know that there is no concrete definition of happiness?" Arizona thought aloud. They were currently lazying around at the far end of the school's soccer pitch, Arizona's body stretched out perpendicular to Callie's with her head nestled in the dip of the other girls cross legged seat. Callie was waiting for soccer trials to begin and while she knew she had a spot as the team's right wing, she couldn't help the nerves bubbling up.

It was a particularly cloudy day, not enough to bring a jacket but it made Callie glad she would be having a trial in decent conditions. The grass had been freshly cut for the new semester, goal posts freshly painted and markings redone. Taking a large breath of fresh air, Callie smelt the grass and something unfamiliar in place of Arizona's usual hair product.

"Did you change shampoos" Callie asked incredulously, her brows scrunching down in her signature confused look. When the blonde didn't answer her, she moved a hand from behind her to run it through loose locks and bring it up to her nose.

"I think the most interesting question would be, did you just smell my hair?" Arizona smirked, shifting her upper body weight onto her arms "I mean that's like a level 5 to 7 on the creep scale. Oh! fun fact, animals use this thing called pheromones, it's basically a unique smell attached to every one, kind of like an identifying smell. And they would use this to know when others in the pack or herd were ready to mate" Arizona supplies helpfully

"I don't even want to know how you know that or what spurred on that particular google search but that's not the point Brainy." Callie laughed, her fingers still weaving through blonde locks "what did you find out about your other shampoo?"

"Nothing." Arizona simply said, shrugging her shoulders when skeptical eyes looked at her before turning her body back around and moving into the comfortable position that she was in before "As I was saying... Happiness doesn't have a definition. I even tried to look it up. I mean it has a definition technically... all the religions have different interpretations and yet still no concrete answer." Arizona says perplexed

"Babe, Happiness is an emotion, there doesn't have to be a definition for it, it just is." Callie smiles when she finds Arizona looking up at her with a look she can't decipher just yet "What?" she asks causing Arizona's cheesy grin to grow larger

"Carol Bruess and Judy Pearson wrote a paper on pet names being used in relationships and they believe that it can lead to happiness in a relationship, granted her participant group were married couples" Arizona spews out "She said and I quote 'If we can't laugh at ourselves and with each other in the relationship, we're less likely to sustain that relationship in a positive way over time'. Also it's said that seventy six percent of couples that use pet names in their relationship say that they are very happy"

Callie let her upper body fall back into the grass as her whole body shook with laughter "Is that your way of telling me you like it when I use pet names with you?" she managed to say between breaths

"when you use it, it means we're happy in this relationship, right? Arizona says and when Callie continues to laugh, she tilts her head, slightly confused.

"Numbers don't lie Callie, it's in the research. Seventy six percent consider their relationships as very happy, I mean it's not the highest number but it's pretty up there" Arizona huffed sitting up

"Hey" Callie says sobering up "Arizona, what's going on?" her confusion morphed into worry when Arizona flinched away from her touch and started fidgeting with her fingers, forcefully mangling them into odd positions

"Are you in the other twenty four percent?" Arizona quietly asks

"Other twenty four percent? Arizona what twenty four percent?" Callie replies taking Arizona's hands into hers, knowing the blonde needed touch as comfort. She smiled when pale fingers gently started to play with her own tan ones

"Callie, you're happy with me?. This" Arizona gently tugged their hands gesturing to both of them " us" she whispers "you're happy with me?"

"Of course I am Arizona" Callie smiles bring their joined hands up and places a soft kiss on Arizona's "what's bringing on these thoughts?"

Arizona shyly looks away "I overheard some guys that were talking in the library saying I was your 'palette cleanser'; you were tired of dating cheater jocks so you wanted someone... someone who" she gulped and whispered "a geek who you could use as an ego boost before you started seriously dating again" she finished without looking at Callie "We can go back to being friends if you want, Callie. I just can't lose you..."

"Arizona" Callie speaks over the blonde to get her attention, before softly kissing her hoping to convey her feelings "I love you. Those idiots are jealous because now they have absolutely no chance with me"

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise! you're stuck with me brainy" Callie smiles and is about to kiss Arizona again before the shrill of a whistle stops her


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: to the reviewer who said they had a crush on nerdy Arizona... hey :)

One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.  
-Bryant H. McGill

Blue eyes surveyed the room before her, processing it's contents and stark abnormalities that seemed to meet her eyes only. From the overtly paint splattered, wooden cabinet that had posters plastered of various destinations in Italy all in different non conforming angles to the large tables scattered all around the room with light traveling in from both the small windows along the brick wall and the overhead white fluorescent tubes. What bothered her most was how the walls remained a pristine white, save for the few small dark circles where she was sure work had been previously hung. From the moment she entered the room, her senses were overpowered with a pungent chemical smell that forced her to bring her hoodie sleeve over her nose. Music from all different genres blended awfully together and left and awful taste in her mouth, like how you would expect a milk, apple and spinach smoothie to taste. Why was she here?

"Hey" she heard from the side and felt a warm hand on her shoulder "Want to step outside for a minute?" the voice tentatively asked and Arizona slowly nodded, allowing herself to be lead out of the cold room. Once outside and seated, the voice spoke once again "Focus on what you know okay? The sun is warm and hitting your back, the wind is cool and is blowing from your right... now can you tell me some more things?"

Swallowing deeply "My feet feel cold in my shoes and I like the feeling of moving them around in the sand, your hand is really warm on my back and my eyes are feeling really heavy."

"okay. Good job. I want you to take a deep breaths in and out Arizona" the woman says and although she didn't know who was sitting next to her, she felt at ease when the hand on her shoulder started moving in a gentle circular manner around her back that had the effect of grounding her

What felt like an eternity later, Arizona looked to her side and found a girl with a lightly tanned complexion and dark brown eyes hidden behind glasses. She had a small marking of blue paint on the side of her face and without thinking Arizona moved to wipe it away with her thumb. "Thank you..." Arizona smiled

"Maya" the girl supplied "Don't mention it. You looked like just being in the room was going to swallow you whole, I take it this was your first time in the art department"

"Yeah." Arizona said before looking down on her lap with crinkled eyebrows "I don't know what happened to be honest, it's never happened before?"

"The art department can be overwhelming if you're not used it. There's a lot of things to focus on, tables to straighten out, supplies and bottles that need to be deeply cleaned. Honestly before that room was the star of every nightmare I had." Maya laughed "The things that just need to be sorted out and organized"

"So if it overwhelms you too, how are you in there ?"

"I guess that's the thing about art. It's not supposed to be straight line, labels and organization labels. That freedom to just be and know that it does't have to be perfect helps me not be jittery in other parts of my life. Therapy in a way" Maya shrugs "It took a while to just let go and sometimes I do color blue and green squares and triangles perfectly, but that's just me. What brought you here?"

"I uhm... I want to learn how to draw" Arizona says shyly

"Anything in particular?"

"I like cartoons"

"Okay we can start there." Maya says then looks away as if figuring out where and how to start "Are you looking for this to be a form of therapy? or you just want to learn how to draw cartoons because that's fine too"

"A bit of both. I want a hobby that isn't related to facts and figures not that I don't enjoy learning. I just want to try something new and this was the first thing that I could think of that both put me out of my comfort zone and intrigued me at the same time."

"Would you be okay going back in there or do you want to find an empty classroom and start there?"

"Can we find an empty classroom for now."

"Of course we can, come on"

* * *

"Hey I missed you at lunch today, where were you?" Callie asked as they walked hand in hand toward the car park. Ever since Arizona had talked to Callie at soccer tryouts, her girlfriend had become more affectionate with her, making a point to always be close to her and affirm her.

"I was with Maya today, we were drawing cartoon characters faces again. I'm not that good at it yet but maya said if I practiced some more I would get the hang of it." Arizona smiled "I had no idea that art therapy was a thing. I mean I knew of it in theory and how it helped expression and self discovery, but I don't feel as on edge as before."

"That's great Arizona" Callie smiled though not fully, a thing that didn't go unnoticed by Arizona. She loved that Arizona had found an outlet for herself and found someone else to support her through it but she couldn't help the bitter feeling that arose whenever Maya came up. She hated herself for feeling like this but lately Maya is the only thing Arizona would talk about, popping her into every conversation and Callie couldn't help but feel jealous.

"Can we search the 1990 Batman cartoon series, Maya said there are some great characters to get some ideas from?" Arizona asked as she sat in the passenger seat of Callie's car

"Yeah, sure. We need to get that chem project done first though" Callie said half heartedly and just started the car and drove the all too familiar route back home on auto pilot while Arizona spouted out facts from the DC universe.

* * *

A few weeks had gone by and Callie's jealously had escalated from small spark to full blown wildfire that was threatening to burn everything. Arizona had brought Maya to have lunch with them and their friends, sat next to her in the classes they had together but the last straw for Callie was seeing Arizona hugging Maya as she exited the school hallway and out into the car park.

"Cal you're green is showing" Addison laughed

"I'm done!" Callie huffed throwing her hands up in surrender "I can't win in this situation! I mean let's look at the facts" Callie laughed darkly "There's perfect Maya who 'Calliope she loves superheroes and now I have someone to discuss superheroes with' but more importantly she's someone who understands what Arizona is going through. Like she has this sixth sense and has the perfect reaction for everything. I've been okay with the lunches and the everything else but now Arizona is VOLUNTARILY hugging her" Callie sighs and feels her body slump, eyes shutting to hide her tears "Addison you were her friend for years before she felt comfortable around you and now Maya waltzes in and it's like... hugs were our thing and now..."

"Hey guys" Arizona greets chirpily. The minute Callie turns around, Arizona's smile drops and she rushes to take the brunette into her arms which only causes Callie to cry harder. "Hey what's wrong? what happened" Arizona asks and is met with tan arms hugging her closer. Arizona looked at Addison hoping for some form of an answer, when the slender redhead just shook her head. "Callie give me the keys, lets go home. I'm going to call Maya and cancel movies"

Callie darkly chuckles and pulls out of Arizona's arms "Yeah just make sure everything is okay with your girlfriend... I've gotta go. Addison please can you take Arizona home" Callie rushed out before getting into her car and driving off

"Hey is everything okay?" Maya asks tentatively "I saw Callie crying"

"Maya sorry we can't do movies. Addison can we go home?" Arizona whispers through her own tears

"Yeah sure" Addison says and is surprised when Arizona walks close enough to her and grabs her hand

"Sorry... is this okay? me holding your hand... I should probably let go"

"Hey no! it's okay. Just took me by surprise is all" Addison smiles "This is new"

"Callie started holding my hand and hugging me a lot more so that I'm comfortable with it and I really like it when she does, so I've been doing it with people that I'm close too because I like the comfort it brings. Is that weird? Is that why Callie's mad? I'm not supposed to do this with other people am I" Arizona says and immediately removes her hand from Addison's "I don't like that she's driving alone when she's feeling like this"

"Arizona, it's okay that you want to hug people and it's exciting that you're discovering this new part of you. It's that it's new for Callie too. Tell me about Maya" Addison asks as she starts the car

"Maya's great! today she brought in some art therapy stuff that she does and I feel... light." Arizona says before whispering "Normal"

There was a silence in the car as it navigated down the streets. "Does Callie think I like Maya?"

"You know I love you both and I'm not taking sides here but do you? like Maya as more than a friend?" Addison asks and is met with silence. Deciding to take a detour, the redhead parks near an empty park. "okay lets help you sort through this out"

"I like Maya" Arizona says

"Well what about Callie?" Addison asks, her mind reeling to find a way through this

"I like Maya but I'm not attracted her" Arizona quickly amends "I admire her because she's teaching me to accept myself and it's nice to talk to someone who can empathize with me rather than just sympathizing. Callie is great and she does so much for me but theres always that gap between us but thats what makes it great too. I don't know how to explain it, all I know is that Maya helps me but Callie completes me. She makes everything better"

"Arizona why didn't you tell her this?" Addison asks

"I didn't know" Arizona sighs "I didn't know she felt like this, we promised each other that we would talk to each other if something was bothering either one of us... I guess we still have to work on that"

* * *

Callie was sat in a parked car on hog's hill and wondered how it went from both of them planning grand romantic gestures for each other to Arizona starting to like another person. She was taken out of her downward spiral with light rapping on her passenger window "Mind if I join you?"

"I'm not really in the mood for company" Callie sighs

"I promise it will only take a minute of your time" Maya smiles, entering the car when shy saw Callie nod "Arizona loves you, and I would be lying if I said that didn't suck at the beginning because I may or may not have had a crush on her." That brought Callie's attention to her "But getting to know her, I know that we'd be better off as friends because I know I can help her figure out who she is. She needs a person who understands what she's going through and help her navigate through it. And while I may be that person, you are so much more than that to her. Well my minutes up so i'll leave you be."

"Thank you for helping her" Callie said sincerely

"We both are, it takes a village" Maya smiles "Take care Callie"

"Let me take you home" Callie says "It's late and honestly I could use the drive before going home"

"Twenty first century knight in shining armor" Maya laughs


End file.
